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News From Senator Bill Stephens of the 9th District
Senator District 27
April 3, 2006
Georgia’s top conservatives throw their weight behind Bill Stephens
Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, grassroots Christian leader Sadie Fields join other conservative leaders in endorsing Stephens for Secretary of State
(ATLANTA) – Riding the momentum of one of the most productive and successful legislative sessions in memory, State Senator and Republican candidate for Secretary of State Bill Stephens announced today at a State Capitol press conference new endorsements from some the most widely respected conservative leaders in Georgia: Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (GA-8) and Christian conservative pro-family activist Sadie Fields.
Stephens also announces the backing of Kay Godwin and Pat Tippett, two of the most influential Christian conservative activists in Georgia today. Congressmen Charlie Norwood (GA -9) and Nathan Deal (GA-10) formally endorsed Stephens in the campaign for Secretary of State last summer. These new endorsements come on the heels of Stephens’ unprecedented announcement last week of 100 state legislators who have pledged their support so far.
As National Journal magazine’s seventh most conservative member of the U.S. House of Representatives (he tied in those rankings with fellow Georgia Representative and Stephens endorser Nathan Deal), Rep. Westmoreland knows a conservative legislator when he sees one: "Typically in Republican primaries across this state we’ve had the choice between two conservatives. I think in this case we only have the choice of one conservative and that’s Bill Stephens." Westmoreland continued, "I’m going to do everything I can to make sure Bill is elected the next Secretary of State."
Sadie Fields has been the most influential and unwavering advocate for Christian conservative values in Georgia for years. In the face of relentless criticism from liberal attack groups, Mrs. Fields has steadfastly continued her quest to organize a widespread grassroots network of Christians throughout the state to fight for conservative public policy. Mrs. Fields explained her personal endorsement of Stephens today: "Bill was instrumental in passing the Georgia amendment defining marriage, which was critical to our state. He is a proven conservative and I’m proud to be standing here today with Bill Stephens."
This impressive contingent of conservative endorsers will headline an effort to coalesce conservative voters behind Stephens’ candidacy and is further proof of Stephens’ widespread support within the state’s Republican community and his place as the clear frontrunner in the race for Secretary of State.
# # #Senator Bill Stephens is running for Secretary of State. He is the incumbent Senator from the 27th District, the current Chair of the Transportation Committee, former Senate Majority Leader, and also previously served as Governor Perdue’s Administration Floor Leader and as Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. Senator Stephens may be reached via e-mail at
Bill.Stephens@BillStephens.com, or visit his website, www.BillStephens.com.
100 Legislators Endorse Bill Stephens
Unprecedented percentage of General Assembly publicly support Stephens for Secretary of State
(ATLANTA) – State Senator and Republican Secretary of State candidate Bill Stephens announced today the endorsement of 100 state legislators. This remarkable number of elected officials represents the largest coalition of state legislator endorsements for any candidate in a primary race this election cycle.
These 100 state legislators join a rapidly growing and geographically diverse group of endorsers from around the state, including Republican Congressmen Nathan Deal and Charlie Norwood.
"The toughest audience in politics can sometimes be your colleagues in the General Assembly," said Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson. "You can’t fool these folks. Bill is a leader among leaders and his performance as a senator has convinced us all that he is the one proven conservative we support for Secretary of State. I am proud to stand by him anywhere, anytime."
"I have worked with Bill Stephens as my Senate leadership counterpart, as an annual conferee in putting together our state budget, and on a hundred other issues," House Majority Leader Jerry Keen said today. "He is a stalwart supporter of the conservative cause and I‘m not the least bit surprised that those who have worked with him overwhelmingly support him."
Keen continued his praise for Stephens: "It will be a good thing for Georgia when Bill Stephens becomes the next Secretary of State this fall. I’m with him and know all of our colleagues will be fighting hard on his behalf, as well."
"These strong Republican endorsements should send clear and resounding message to Georgia voters," noted Stephens’ Campaign Manager Katie Grove. "Bill Stephens has the support of so many Republican members of the General Assembly because he is the only candidate in this race with a proven record of capable, conservative legislative experience. End of story."
Please see the map of Georgia below illustrative of Sen. Stephens’ overwhelming support across the state. House and and/or Senate districts in which legislators have endorsed Sen. Stephens are highlighted in red, while traditionally-Democrat districts in which he has not yet garnered legislative endorsements are colored green. Sen. Stephens' opponent's support is highlighted in blue.
Following are the members of the General Assembly who have endorsed Bill Stephens so far:
Sen. Don Balfour (Gwinnett)
Sen. Bill Hamrick (Carroll, Douglas, Paulding)
Sen. Ross Tolleson (Bleckley, Dodge, Houston, Johnson, Laurens, Pulaski, Telfair, Wilcox)
Sen. Jim Whitehead (Columbia, Elbert, Glascock, Lincoln, McDuffie, Warren, Wilkes)
Sen. Johnny Grant (Baldwin, Butts, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jones, Morgan, Putnam, Taliaferro, Warren)
Sen. Tommie Williams (Appling, Jeff Davis, Liberty, Long, Montgomery, Tattnall, Toombs, Wayne, Wheeler)
Sen. Eric Johnson (Bryan, Chatham, Liberty)
Sen. John Bulloch (Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas)
Sen. Chip Rogers (Cherokee, Cobb)
Sen. Cecil Staton (Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe)
Sen. John Douglas (Henry, Newton, Rockdale, Spalding, Walton)
Sen. Greg Goggans (Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Lanier, Pierce, Ware)
Sen. Preston Smith (Bartow, Floyd, Gordon)
Sen. Renee Unterman (Gwinnett)
Sen. Jack Hill (Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Tattnall, Treutlen)
Sen. Judson Hill (Cobb, Fulton)
Sen. Seth Harp (Harris, Meriwether, Muscogee, Troup)
Sen. Joseph Carter (Ben Hill, Crisp, Irwin, Lee, Tift, Turner, Wilcox, Worth)
Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Troup)
Sen. Chip Pearson (Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, Union, White)
Sen. Jeff Mullis (Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Walker)
Sen. Ronnie Chance (Fayette, Lamar, Monroe, Pike, Spalding)
Sen. Nancy Schaefer (Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Hart, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, White)
Sen. Don Thomas (Catoosa, Gordon, Murray, Whitfield)
Sen. Dan Weber (Dekalb, Gwinnett)
Sen. John Wiles (Cobb)
Sen. Brian Kemp (Clarke, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe)
Sen. Ralph Hudgens (Barrow, Elbert, Jackson, Madison, Walton)
Sen. Jeff Chapman (Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn. McIntosh)
Sen. Bill Heath (Bartow, Haralson, Paulding, Polk)
Rep. Ron Forster (Catoosa, Whitfield)
Rep. David Ralston (Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer)
Rep. Amos Amerson (Dawson, Forsyth, Lumpkin)
Rep. Ben Bridges (Habersham, White)
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Bartow, Floyd)
Rep. Jeff Lewis (Bartow)
Rep. Charlice Byrd (Cherokee)
Rep. Calvin Hill (Cherokee)
Rep. Chuck Scheid (Cherokee)
Rep. Jack Murphy (Cherokee, Forsyth)
Rep. Tom Knox (Forsyth)
Rep. Stacey Reese (Hall, Lumpkin, White)
Rep. James Mills (Hall)
Rep. Jay Shaw (Berrien, Clinch, Lanier, Lowndes)
Rep. Ed Setzler (Cobb)
Rep. Earl Erhart (Cobb)
Rep. Jerry Keen (Glynn)
Rep. Mike Coan (Gwinnett)
Rep. John Lunsford (Butts, Henry, Newton)
Rep. Doug Holt (Morgan, Newton)
Rep. Bob Smith (Clarke, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe)
Rep. Barry Fleming (Columbia, Lincoln, Wilkes)
Rep. Ben Harbin (Columbia)
Rep. David Knight (Butts, Lamar, Spalding)
Rep. Vance Smith (Harris, Muscogee, Troup)
Rep. Allen Freeman (Bibb, Jones, Twiggs, Wilkinson)
Rep. Larry O’Neal (Houston)
Rep. Buddy Carter (Chatham, Effingham)
Rep. Ron Stephens (Bryan, Chatham, Liberty)
Rep. John Meadows (Gordon, Murray)
Rep. Tim Bearden (Carroll, Douglas)
Rep. Don Parsons (Cobb)
Rep. Hinson Mosley (Brantley, Pierce, Wayne)
Rep. Jim Cole (Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Monroe)
Rep. Steve Davis (Henry)
Rep. Richard Smith (Muscogee)
Rep. Tommy Benton (Barrow, Hall, Jackson)
Rep. Brooks Coleman (Gwinnett)
Rep. Sue Burmeister (Columbia, Richmond)
Rep. Steve "Thunder" Tumlin (Cobb)
Rep. David Graves (Bibb)
Rep. Bill Hembree (Douglas)
Rep. Howard Maxwell (Haralson, Paulding)
Rep. Matt Dollar (Cobb)
Rep. Clay Cox (Gwinnett)
Rep. David Casas (Gwinnett)
Rep. Terry England (Barrow)
Rep. Bobby Reese (Gwinnett)
Rep. Tom Rice (Fulton, Gwinnett)
Rep. Willie Talton (Houston)
Rep. Mike Keown (Grady, Thomas)
Rep. Jeff May (Walton)
Rep. Terry Barnard (Evans, Liberty, Tattnall)
Rep. Tom McCall (Elbert, Jackson, Madison)
Rep. Roger Williams (Whitfield)
Rep. Martin Scott (Dade, Walker)
Rep. Carl Rogers (Hall)
Rep. Mark Hatfield (Charlton, Ware)
Rep. Jeff Brown (Carroll, Heard, Troup)
Rep. Cecily Hill (Camden, Glynn)
Rep. Len Walker (Gwinnett, Walton)
Rep. John Heard (Gwinnett)
Rep. Tom Dickson (Catoosa, Murray, Whitfield)
Rep. Roger Lane (Glynn, Long, McIntosh, Wayne)
Rep. Mark Butler (Carroll, Haralson)
Rep. Gene Maddox (Grady)
Rep. Penny Houston (Berrien, Colquitt, Cook)
Rep. Paul Jennings (Dekalb)
Rep. Mack Crawford (Lamar, Pike, Upson)
# # #
Sen. Bill Stephens is running for Secretary of State. He is the incumbent Sen. from the 27th District, the current Chair of the Transportation Committee, former Senate Majority Leader, and also previously served as Governor Perdue’s Administration Floor Leader and as Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. Sen. Stephens may be reached via e-mail at Bill.Stephens@BillStephens.com, or visit his website, www.BillStephens.com.
Friends,
In an ongoing effort to spotlight the importance of election reform and ballot security in Georgia, I have created a new series of weekly email alerts called the “Voter Outrage of the Week.” Each week, I will highlight a different shocking example of voter fraud and how it relates to our election reform efforts her in Georgia. I hope you find these messages both informative and revealing.
Last week, the Senate State & Local Governmental Operations Committee unanimously passed out my “2006 Georgia Accuracy in Elections Act,” SB 500. I look forward to presenting this critical reform legislation to the full Senate very soon. I will continue to keep you updated on the status of this bill. As always, please continue to email me your ideas and opinions.
Sincerely
Bill
Voter Outrage of the Week #1:
February 12, 2006
151 “discovered” ballots in Chattooga County hand incumbent Senator a win in 1998
In 1998, election “irregularities” surfaced in the State Senate race between Sonny Huggins and Jeff Mullis in rural northwest Georgia. On Election Day, Mullis defeated Huggins, the Democrat incumbent, by 23 votes. However, in the recount a few days later, Democrat election officials in Chattooga County “discovered” 151 previously uncounted ballots. Of these 151 discovered votes, 145 were awarded to Huggins, an amazing 96 percent, almost 30 percentage points better than Huggins did in the rest of Chattooga County! These “found” ballots gave Huggins the election over Mullis.
Fortunately, Mullis rebounded from this questionable defeat, won that Senate seat two years later, and still serves in the Senate today. Certainly, tighter Voter I.D. requirements, electronic voting machines outfitted with paper ballot audit systems, and more efficient updating of voter rolls will prevent such abnormalities from contaminating our elections in the future.
Senator Bill Stephens is running for Secretary of State. He is the incumbent Senator from the 27th District, the former Senate Majority Leader, and previously served as Governor Perdue’s Administration Floor Leader and as Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. Senator Stephens may be reached via e-mail at Bill.Stephens@BillStephens.com , or visit his website, www.BillStephens.com .
Electronic voting machines fail to store thousands of votes, forcing one North Carolina county to re-do entire election
In the November 2004 General Election, voters in a single North Carolina county went to the polls to cast their votes for state, local, and federal candidates, not knowing that in two months they would have to return to the polls to re-cast their votes in the race for state Agriculture Commissioner.
The county's electronic voting machines managed to store only 3,000 votes each, well shy of their advertised 10,000 vote capacity. By the time the warning signs were noticed by poll workers, it was too late.
Malfunctioning electronic voting machines cost this one North Carolina county $20,000 to conduct a make-up election on January 2005. Yet, the widespread loss in voter confidence was even more costly. Because of this technology mishap, voters across the state questioned whether their electronically cast votes were recorded accurately - or even recorded at all.
A special investigative task force assembled in response to this election debacle recommended to the NC legislature that voting machines be equipped to produce a paper record of each vote cast. A voter-verifiable paper audit trail on each voting machine would have made a post-election audit easier and certainly would have negated the need for an expensive make-up election. In 2005, the NC legislature passed legislation mandating machines be able to produce paper audit trails.
This kind of problem is waiting to happen here in Georgia. The implementation of touch screen voting machines was a step forward in making our elections more accurate and efficient. But now we must ensure that we don't sacrifice security for efficiency.
Please take a minute to review SB 500, the 2006 Georgia Accuracy in Elections Act. This election reform legislation passed unanimously out of committee and I expect to present it to the full Senate sometime this week.
In an ongoing effort to spotlight the importance of election reform and ballot security in Georgia, I have created a new series of weekly email alerts called the "Voter Outrage of the Week." Each week, I will highlight a different shocking example of voter fraud and how it relates to our election reform efforts here in Georgia. I hope you find these messages both informative and revealing.
Senator Bill Stephens is running for Secretary of State. He is the incumbent Senator from the 27th District, the former Senate Majority Leader, and previously served as Governor Perdue’s Administration Floor Leader and as Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. Senator Stephens may be reached via e-mail at Bill.Stephens@BillStephens.com, or visit his website, www.BillStephens.com.
Feb. 28, 2006. Voter Outrage of the Week # 3:
Voter Outrage of the Week #3:
Lack of regular voter registration audit system makes removing illegal aliens and deceased citizens from Georgia’s voting rolls difficult
In 2001, U.S. Census results revealed that voter rolls in many American cities included more names than the Census listed as the total number of residents over the age of eighteen. The number of voters listed on Philadelphia's voter rolls, for example, jumped 24 percent between 1995 and the decade-end Census, while during the same time period the city's population declined by 13 percent. Georgia faced similar disparities between numbers of eligible voters and voter roll statistics. Census results and death statistic databases helped two local Atlanta news organizations conclude that there were over 15,000 dead individuals still on Georgia's voter rolls after the 2000 Census.
Previously, county election registrars in Georgia purged people from the voter rolls who had not voted for three years. But that all changed when Georgia’s own “Motor Voter” law was enacted in 1995, prohibiting counties from dropping a voter from the active rolls for not voting and permitting anyone with a driver's license to legally register to vote, consequently making it easier for both those wishing to impersonate dead citizens and illegal aliens to cast their vote on election day.
Fortunately, the Georgia General Assembly has taken great steps to address the loopholes created by the “Motor Voter” laws. Voter photo I.D. requirements passed this session will cut-down on the potential for registered voter impersonation issues. I have also introduced Senate Bill 517, legislation that will require the Secretary of State’s office to annually compare the registered voter database with several different audit databases maintained by the federal Social Security Administration.
Please also note that my paper audit-trail legislation, SB 500, the 2006 Georgia Accuracy in Elections Act, is on the top of the Senate’s agenda for this week. I will keep you updated on its progress. Step by step, we are working to make Georgia’s elections the most secure in the nation.
In an ongoing effort to spotlight the importance of election reform and ballot security in Georgia, I have created a this series of weekly email alerts called the "Voter Outrage of the Week." Each week, I will highlight a different shocking example of voter fraud and how it relates to our election reform efforts here in Georgia. I hope you find these messages both informative and revealing
Results of 2005 Cobb County election questioned after problems found with new voting machine software
The results of Cobb County’s public referendum on a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax were thrown into question after new electronic voting machine software proved unreliable last September.
The "upgraded" software, installed on the county’s hundreds of voting machines prior to the special election, was plagued by technical problems during the modem transmission of vote data, delaying transmission of precinct results to the central Cobb Board of Elections offices in Marietta. At precincts with the worst software problems, poll workers had to drive to the central elections office and hand-deliver the results because electronic transmission failed, further compromising vote security.
Delays in the electronic transmission of voting data were not the only problem that surfaced during Cobb’s tax referendum last September. When all the results were finally tallied, the final count showed that 285 ballots were completely blank. Either those 285 citizens decided not to cast a vote when they arrived at the polls that day – an unlikely scenario in a special election – or, they were effectively disenfranchised by voting machine malfunctions. Those 285 “lost” votes were certainly significant in a referendum in which the margin of victory was less than half that number.
These types of electronic voting machine snafus are more common in Georgia than the general public is aware. Implementation of a voter verifiable paper audit trail for all of our touch screen voting machines would give Georgia citizens the power to audit their votes in real time and would provide a secure paper record of every vote cast when the next “Cobb County” incident occurs.
Please note that my paper audit-trail legislation, SB 500, the 2006 Georgia Accuracy in Elections Act, is the third bill on the Senate’s calendar to be heard this morning, Monday, March 6 (session begins at 10:00 a.m.). You may watch the live debate on SB 500 online by clicking here and selecting the “State Senate – Live Session” link.
In an ongoing effort to spotlight the importance of election reform and ballot security in Georgia, I have created this series of weekly email alerts called the "Voter Outrage of the Week." Each week, I will highlight a different shocking example of voter fraud and how it relates to our election reform efforts here in Georgia. I hope you find these messages both informative and revealing.
Voter Outrage of the Week #5:
Voters touch candidates’ names on the touch screen voting machines only to see opponents’ names appear as their choice
When Georgia debuted our new electronic voting machines during the 2002 General Election, a handful of troubling glitches in the technology surfaced. Not the least of which was a rash of voter complaints that the machines displayed the opposite candidate’s name on the touch screen after they had selected their choice.
According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution news archives from that election, poll monitors from across the state took complaints from more than 100 voters in at least 20 counties who said the touch screen voting machines highlighted a Democratic candidate even though they actually selected the Republican candidate.
When these complaints were leveled, elections officials moved quickly to replace the flawed machines. But, these types of technological glitches are representative of a larger problem that exists with the use of electronic voting machines that lack a paper audit trail back-up. These 100 voters caught the machine’s error, but how many voters overlooked the very same problem? How many other technological problems plague our elections yet are never caught?
We will never know without a full-proof audit system. As Stanford University computer science professor and proponent of voter verifiable paper audit trails David Dill says, "I'm not concerned about elections that are a mess, I'm concerned about elections that appear to go smoothly, and no one knows that it was all messed up inside the machine.”
During their March 8 meeting, the Georgia State Election Board unanimously approved a motion supporting Senate Bill 500, my "2006 Georgia Accuracy in Elections Act," which would pilot a paper audit trail program in three precincts in three Georgia counties during the 2006 General Election. This SEB motion urges the House of Representatives to pass the legislation and the Governor to sign it into law (SB 500 passed the Senate unanimously last week). I am honored to have the support of the State Election Board and will continue to work with them to make Georgia’s elections the most secure in the nation.
Voter Outrage of the Week #6:
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney focuses her Get Out the Vote efforts on convicted felons!
If you vote in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District, please be especially cautious when you visit the polls this election year. That’s because the woman who represents you in the U.S. House of Representatives, Cynthia McKinney, is using taxpayer dollars to encourage convicted felons to get out and vote!
In the Fall, 2005, issue of her taxpayer funded district newsletter, “The Fourth District Chronicle,” McKinney devotes a 3”x2” space prominently next to the mailing address section that announces, “VOTE! *Important* Convicted felons can vote if: All your time has been served, you completed parole or probation, all your fines have been paid.” (See the image of the newsletter on the right).
Congresswoman McKinney must think it appropriate to use YOUR hard-earned tax dollars to educate convicted felons on their rights. Not surprisingly, she doesn’t devote any space in the newsletter to the recruitment of law-abiding voters. If you’re one of Cynthia McKinny’s constituents, call her and let her know that you are outraged at such a misuse of your tax dollars and encourage her to be more responsible in the future. Congresswoman McKinney may be reached at her district office in Decatur, 404.633.0927, or her Washington, D.C. office on Capitol Hill, 202.225.1605.
It's time for politicians like Cynthia McKinney to stop abusing the system in this manner. As elected officials, we ought to educate voters and encourage participation without pandering to convicted felons. Actions like these only serve to degrade the integrity of and undercut public confidence in our elections. As your Secretary of State, I will do everything in my power to crack down on politicians who exploit the system like this.
In an ongoing effort to spotlight the importance of election reform and ballot security in Georgia, I have created this series of weekly email alerts called the "Voter Outrage of the Week." Each week, I will highlight a different shocking example of voter fraud and how it relates to our election reform efforts here in Georgia. I hope you find these messages both informative and revealing. These messages are now archived at www.BillStephens.com.
Senator Bill Stephens is running for Secretary of State. He is the incumbent Senator from the 27th District, the former Senate Majority Leader, and previously served as Governor Perdue’s Administration Floor Leader and as Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. Senator Stephens may be reached via e-mail at Bill.Stephens@BillStephens.com.
Voter Outrage of the Week #7:Voter Outrage of the Week #7:
U.S. Census inclusion of illegal alien population could unfairly skew Congressional Apportionment
A 2003 report issued by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) argues that because the census counts all residents, including people who reside in the U.S. illegally, the congressional apportionment process is skewed in favor of states with the most illegal immigrants.
Based on federal immigration estimates, over 6.5 million illegal aliens were counted in the 2000 census. Since apportionment of Congressional seats is based on census population statistics gathered every ten years, states with higher illegal alien populations – like California – unfairly gain power in the U.S. House and the Electoral College, which could eventually tilt the results of a close Presidential election. In fact, California would have three fewer seats in the U.S. House of Representatives if these non-citizens had not been counted in the last census, according to this CIS study.
The impact on Georgia could be significant. Because the Georgia General Assembly is now tackling illegal immigration head-on in an attempt to cut down on the numbers of illegal aliens residing here, we could actually lose influence as a state on the national stage if this way of gathering population data for congressional apportionment is not changed by the end of the decade. The scenario in which Georgia could actually be penalized for confronting the problem of illegal immigration is a tough pill to swallow!
Fortunately, this issue is now being debated in Congress. In December 2005, Michigan Representative Candice Miller introduced legislation in the House to exclude both legal and illegal aliens from being included in Census data used when drawing up the 435 congressional districts. As your next Secretary of State, I will work with Georgia’s congressional delegation to make sure common sense reforms like this are instituted and the power of each citizen’s legal vote is not diluted.
In an ongoing effort to spotlight the importance of election reform and ballot security in Georgia, I have created this series of weekly email alerts called the "Voter Outrage of the Week." Each week, I will highlight a different shocking example of voter fraud and how it relates to our election reform efforts here in Georgia. I hope you find these messages both informative and revealing. These messages are now archived at www.BillStephens.com
Associated Press: "Senator proposes paper ballot voting
bill"
The Associated Press - ATLANTA - A state senator running for Georgia's top elections
post introduced a bill Wednesday that would test adding paper receipts to the state's electronic voting machines.
Sen. Bill Stephens, R-Canton, said adding a physical ballot would give voters more
assurance that their ballots have been counted accurately.
"Our voting system is the foundation of our democracy and the men and women in this
state deserve to know that the system is safe and secure," said Stephens, the Senate's
former majority leader and a candidate for Secretary of State.
Under the plan, one precinct each in Bibb, Camden and Cobb counties would be outfitted
with the paper balloting for November's general election. If all went well, the state could add the receipts to all of its voting machines by the 2008 presidential election - depending on what new federal voting laws are handed down, Stephens said.
Under current Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Georgia switched to an all-electronic voting system in 2002 in the aftermath of the Florida presidential election, which delayed for weeks the outcome of the 2000 presidential election.
Georgia previously relied on a hodgepodge system which employed punch cards in some counties, optical scan machines in others and paper ballots in a few.
Under the plan, voters would not get to keep a copy of their ballot, but instead would be
able to review the paper receipt under a clear, plastic cover before finalizing their vote.
The paper ballots could be used in the event of a recount or other challenge to an election's vote total. Cox, a Democrat, supports the Stephens plan and her office has worked with
him crafting the legislation, said Cox spokesman Chris Riggall.
Cox was initially reluctant to endorse paper ballots, saying it would be expensive to adapt
the state's voting machines, but last year said she now supports the idea.
"A lot of things have gone on in the last two years in terms of where the industry is going, where election officials are going, where the federal government is going," Riggall said.
"We've been very much engaged with our peers across the country and within the industry in trying to move that process forward."
Cox is leaving her post to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Stephens faces
Fulton County Commission Chairman Karen Handel for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State. Handel has said she, too, supports a paper receipt for ballots.
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